Lebanese President Joseph Aoun detailed his plan during a virtual meeting with European Union officials, in which he leveled sharp criticism at Hezbollah and Israel for what he called “an attempt to corner my country.” He accused Israel of showing “no respect for the laws of war, nor for international laws.” Israel’s assault on Lebanon has displaced more than 600,000 people and killed more than 400, including scores of women and children, Aoun said.
But it is his criticism of Hezbollah that is significant. Calling the Shiite Muslim group “an armed faction … that places no value on Lebanon’s interest nor on the life of its people,” Aoun said Hezbollah “wanted to achieve the fall of the State of Lebanon, under aggression and chaos.” He accused the group of working “for the sake of the calculations of the Iranian regime.”
Aoun called for a new initiative, backed by the international community, which would establish a truce between Israel and Lebanon while helping the Lebanese armed forces disarm Hezbollah and confiscate its weaponry. The initiative would put in a place a “complete truce” with a halt to Israeli attacks as the two countries begin “direct negotiations under international sponsorship” to achieve a “final cessation of hostile acts” and “permanent arrangements for security and stability on our borders.” Under Aoun’s idea, Israel would gradually withdraw from the territories it has occupied in southern Lebanon, with its forces to be replaced by the Lebanese military.
Last week, Lebanon’s government declared Hezbollah’s military activities illegal, but it does not have the force required to effectively disarm Hezbollah on its own. Aoun nevertheless noted the importance of the March 2 decision, saying, “This is what we want to implement clearly and decisively.”
However, Lebanon’s inability to implement this decision makes the new initiative questionable at best.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com
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